


Things Left Unsaid

by xisuthros



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Injury
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-17
Updated: 2015-09-17
Packaged: 2018-04-21 04:05:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,261
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4814309
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xisuthros/pseuds/xisuthros
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Fitz dosen't come to the medical bay after a mission, making Jemma really worried. She goes to look for him. Originally posted on my Tumblr (xisuthros) for Fitzsimmons week.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Things Left Unsaid

This was quickly shaping up to be a very stressful day.

Jemma had been in the lab, anxiously fiddling with some vials when she got the call from the medical bay. The team was back from its latest mission, which were slowly becoming more and more dangerous as the weeks went on. They had just discovered a secret HYDRA base in the Rocky Mountains that was working on a new bioweapon. From all the intelligence reports that were streaming in, it had looked like this weapon had the capability to do some serious damage to a lot of people. 

In order to avoid that from happening, Coulson had led most of the team on a daring mission to take the base and destroy the weapon, something that was much easier said than done. A small army stood between them and the weapon, and the odds of them even surviving the fight were slim. Jemma had been worried when nearly everyone went to go along on the mission, but her heart had stopped when the director listed Fitz as among those who would be going. Even though they had been bickering ever since she got back from being undercover, Jemma could not help but still worry about him even if he seemed to be pushing her away now. 

Jemma felt tears start to form in her eyes and quickly wiped them away as she remembered all the times he seemed to ignore her or walk out of the room whenever she entered. Every time he pushed her a way, a little piece of her heart broke and she lamented ever leaving him in the first place. Jemma had realized she was in love with Fitz during his time in the coma, and since then her feelings have only grown. Now whenever he was forced to be in the same space as her, Jemma had to do all she could do to keep her body in check. Her cheeks seemed to redden at the thought of him, and her knees weakened every time he came close enough to her for his familiar scent to wash over her. It was if her body and mind were at war with one another, with one wanting to kiss him every time she saw him and the other wanting to give him his space so that their relationship could heal.   
But right now, all Jemma could think about was whether he was alright. She quickened her pace as she rounded the corner to the medical bay, the doors hissing open as she took in the scene before her. The team were all sprawled out on the beds, various interns rushing to and from the medicine carts administering stitches and bandages. Jemma saw that Coulson had a large gash on his right cheek that might require stitching. May was holding her arm like it had been broken while Bobbi was putting some bandages over a few scrapes and bruises. She turned another corner and saw Skye yelp in pain as a nurse popped in her dislocated shoulder while another put some disinfectant on a knife wound. Wincing in sympathy, Jemma shifted her gaze to the right and saw Hunter beside Mack, both of them looking like human punching bags while they passed a bottle of scotch back and forth in an effort to dull the pain.

Coulson waved her over and winced as a nurse began sewing his stitches. “The mission was a success.” he said when Jemma came over. “We infiltrated the base and managed to destroy the weapon before those bastards were able to use it.” Jemma felt relieved; that bio-weapon would have done a lot of damage it had been utilized. She was thankful that they were able to stop them while they could. 

Looking around, she felt her stomach drop when she noticed that Fitz was nowhere to be found. “Sir,” Jemma asked slowly, careful not to sound as scared as she was feeling. “Where’s Fitz?”

The director hissed again when the nurse applied some more disinfectant. “He separated from us when we got to the hangar. Fitz said his injuries weren’t too severe, so I let him go.” Coulson managed, still grimacing. Jemma let go a breath she didn’t realize she was holding; he was still alive. She nodded and had just turned to leave when the director continued. “Honestly, without him half of us wouldn’t be standing here.” Jemma froze.  
“What do you mean, sir?” She asked, her heart beating rapidly. 

Coulson shifted in his seat, looking out amongst the team. “He got finished dismantling the weapon but we were pinned down by a squad of HYDRA agents and couldn’t get to him when we were supposed to. Fitz fought his way through two floors of agents and rescued us, even though the plan called for his own extraction.” Jemma gaped at him. Fitz really did that? She knew that he was training and doing some exercise with Mack and Hunter, but she just assumed that it was mostly due to stress. 

The fact he was doing advanced combat training and risking his life to save the team made the ball of worry in her stomach grow. She thanked Coulson and stepped out into the hallway, leaning against the wall as she contemplated the fact she nearly lost Fitz today. Just thinking that thought made her want to burst into tears. Despite them not being on the same page recently, if Fitz had gotten killed, she knew that it would break her completely. Suddenly, Jemma had an intense need to see him. She had to see with her own eyes that he was safe. 

Running doing the hallway, she skidded to a stop at his bunk door, her hand on the latch. There used to be no personal space between them, but ever since the pod it was like walking on eggshells around each other. However Jemma really just wanted to make sure he was okay, so she quietly opened the door slightly.   
Fitz was standing with his back to the door, his shirt off and placing bandages and various ointments on his torso. She breathed a sigh of relief, thankful he was alive, when she suddenly realized that she had only seen him without his shirt a handful of times and never for that long due to him being bashful about his physique, even more once they were amongst specialists and highly-trained agents. She had never complained, however, and distinctly remembered a few instances in the Academy that had made her blush when she was alone with her thoughts.

Now however, his body was more firm from his training sessions with Mack and Hunter, and Jemma had to gulp as she saw the shadows emphasize the new muscle definition on his back. Looking closer, the sight that met her eyes nearly made her gasp aloud. His back was riddled with bruises, and Jemma could see a long knife wound to his lower right side that was still bleeding. Through the mirror, she could see a bullet wound to his upper right arm along with another map of bruises and cuts to his front torso. Jemma was amazed that he had even managed to make it off the plane, much less convince Coulson he was fine and the walk to his bunk.

That last thought stuck in her head and suddenly she felt angry. Why didn’t he come to the medical bay? She realized suddenly that this was the first time he hadn't gone to see someone after a mission. Clearly he was hurt enough to need attention; did he really think that little of himself that he wouldn’t even make sure that he hadn’t sustained any lasting damage? With a jolt, Jemma realized why he didn’t show up; he knew that she would be there. She felt her heart break a little as she realized the lengths he would go to so that he could avoid her. 

He must have seen her face in the mirror because Fitz suddenly stiffened and turned around, causing Jemma to open the door fully and look at him properly. Trying to focus on the wounds and not his bare torso, she gasped when she saw the full extent of his injuries. “Simmons.” he said, and Jemma cringed. She hadn’t heard that tone since she thought he hated her back at the Academy. “Shouldn’t you be in the medical bay?” He put a shirt on but hissed in pain when his bruises protested.  
Jemma reached a hand forward instinctively, but pulled back once she realized what she was doing. If she was going to help him, she needed to be delicate as to not disturb the delicate peace they seemed to have. “I went and saw everyone, but you didn’t show so I...” she trailed off, not wanting to reveal just how worried she was but failing miserably as she felt her eyes fill with sad tears as she looked at his wounds and realized how close he came to not making it back to her. “I was worried about you.” she said finally.  
To her surprise, Fitz didn’t get annoyed or try to ignore her. He instead suddenly looked very tired. She fought the sudden urge to hold him in her arms and soothe all the pain away, like she had wanted to do for so long.   
“Its not that bad.” He managed weakly and despite his condition and her worry, she laughed at that. Fitz looked up quickly as she shook her head.

“Not that bad?” Jemma asked incredulously. “You look like you just barely made it out of there alive. Fitz, you could have died! What were you thinking?” All the frustration and worry-fed anger rose to the surface suddenly, causing her to step forward and poke his chest in emphasis.

“What did you expect me to do?” he answered, just as frustrated. “Let the team die? I can’t do that Jemma, I couldn’t live if that happened.” That last sentence made both Jemma and Fitz freeze as the latter suddenly realized what he had just said. The last time he said something like that, they had both been in the pod with Fitz giving her the last breath of oxygen.

No one spoke for a few moments as they just stood there staring at each other, their eyes convening a thousand words. Finally, Jemma spoke in a quiet voice.

“I can’t live without you, Fitz.” She admitted in a small voice, watching as his face turned soft. “The thought of you almost dying today and coming here to see you like this...” Jemma paused, trying to gather her emotions so she didn't start crying right there and then. “It would destroy me.” She finally said, looking at the floor and closing her eyes to the tears that had started to form in her eyes.

Suddenly, she felt arms surrounding her and Fitz’s familiar scent enveloping her in his warm embrace. Opening her eyes, Jemma blinked her tears away and clung to him, ignoring the muffled grunts that came from him. For months, all she had wanted was to be like this again, safe with him. A sigh instinctually came from the back of her throat as she held him tighter, never wanting to let go. Without thinking, she pressed her lips to his shoulder and felt heat pool in her belly as he pressed a small kiss to her hair. It wasn’t anything grand, simply a reassurance that he was alright. Fitz managed to pry himself free after a few more moments and leaned back to look at her.  
“I’m sorry.” He said finally, causing Jemma’s eyebrows to rise. She could count on one hand the amount of times he admitted he was wrong. “I should have come down to get checked up. I just didn't want to have you freak out.” 

She made a sound between a laugh and a sob. “It’s a little to late for that.” she said as she leaned back further to examine him, worry furrowing a line on her brow. 

Fitz stepped back wincing, nearly causing Jemma reach out again to steady him. “Then we should probably get down there.” he said and she put an arm over her shoulder to help him walk. “Better late than never, I suppose.”  
Jemma smiled at his weak attempt to lighten the mood and helped her best friend hobble across the room and out to the hallway, trying to ignore the butterflies in her stomach from his constant contact and weight on her. She was glad that at least for the time being they weren't ignoring each other and he was actually letting her help him with something. The thought made her heart leap with joy; maybe there was hope for them. 

As she helped him down the hallway towards the medical bay, Jemma made a silent vow to never let them get to this point in their relationship again. Even if he had moved on from her romantically, a notion that made her heart hurt, she would be damned if she wasn’t there right beside him. A life without Leo Fitz was not one worth living, as she had found out during the past few months. Jemma tightened her hold on him as they made it to the medical bay and noticed the way he looked at her from the corner of his eye, silently grateful for her help. She gave him a small smile and walked through the door determinedly, ready to fix whatever came their way.


End file.
